Can I Get Married in France on a Tourist Visa?

If you are thinking of tying the knot in France, you might well be investigating the legal requirements for your marriage and what you need in terms of a visa if you are currently a resident of another country. 

The truth is that what you need in terms of paperwork will depend on your specific circumstances, as we shall now explain. 

Can You Get Married in France On a Tourist Visa? 

In short, yes, you can get married in France while staying on a three-month tourist visa. However, if you intend to have your marriage officially recognised in French law, then there are a number of bureaucratic hoops you will need to jump through before being allowed to proceed with an official wedding ceremony.

For instance, one of the requirements for a French marriage is that at least one of the parties to be married has to have been resident in France for a minimum of 40 days continuously, immediately preceding the marriage in the area where the marriage is to take place.

Put simply, the legal requirements surrounding French marriages are complex, and even more so if one or both of you do not live in France. 

What Paperwork is Required to Get Married in France? 

As mentioned, the list of required documentation is long, and they vary from locality to locality. To find out what you need for a legally-binding marriage in France, you will need to contact the Mairie (town hall) of your chosen wedding location and determine the requirements. 

Generally speaking, you will have to provide at least:

• A Valid Passport or a French resident permit.
• Long-Form Birth Certificate.
• This must be issued within three months of your marriage date.
• Justificatifs de Domicile – Proof of Domicile.
• You need to show proof of residence. This can take the form of 2 documents such as gas and electricity bills.
• Certificat du Notaire – Prenuptial agreement.
• If you plan to have a prenuptial agreement, this must be presented to the Mairie.
• Statement of Identity and residence of two witnesses.
• If you are divorced – A Divorce Certificate.
• If widowed – A Death Certificate of the previous spouse

It is worth noting that some Mairies may require additional documents or have specific local rules. For example, some areas might ask for proof of your previous marriages (if applicable), or even a medical certificate in some rare cases. Therefore, it’s crucial to confirm the full list of documentation with your chosen Mairie before proceeding.

All documentation must be original and endorsed with an Apostille Stamp. Any documentation not in French must be accompanied by official translations translated by an agency verified by the French Consulate.

Depending on where you want to get married, there are all kinds of other residency requirements. Nationally, you must reside in France for 30 days before making a marriage application. The marriage application, otherwise known as the marriage banns, must then be posted at the appropriate Mairie (town hall) no less than ten days before your wedding.

Thankfully, there is an easy workaround for non-French-resident couples wanting to marry in France. 

What's The Easiest Way to Get Married on a Tourist Visa in France? 

Since a civil ceremony is the only legally binding type of ceremony possible in France, most couples living outside France decide to skip all of the onerous paperwork and get legally married in their country first before holding a religious or symbolic wedding in France. 

For example, if you and your partner live in the UK and you wanted to get married in the South of France, you would get legally married at your local registry office first. You could both then enter the country on a tourist visa (90-day stay limit), provide documentation to local French authorities demonstrating you've already legally married (many wedding venue teams can help you take care of this), and have a religious or symbolic ceremony.

Your guests don't have to know anything about your prior legal marriage, and it allows you to choose a very personalised ceremony that feels far more official than the form-filling you completed in your home country. 

Summary:

Can You Get Married in France on a Tourist Visa?

Yes, you can get married in France on a tourist visa. However, it’s important to note that most of these marriages are religious or symbolic in nature and are not recognised in French law unless you meet the residency and documentation requirements.

If you want to have a legally-binding French marriage, you can still get married on a tourist visa. However, there are much more exacting paperwork requirements to do so 

To save yourself bureaucratic headaches, it's best to get married in your country of residency beforehand. You can then provide that proof of marriage to gain the permission you need to have a wedding ceremony of your choosing within France.